Category Archives: Health

by | October 24, 2013 · 8:19 am

Hospitality Industry Safety Risks: New “Smartphone App” Searches Twitter To Identify “Possible Cases Of Restaurant Food Poisoning”; Results Correlated With “Scores From Health Department”

“…The app tags related users and follows that user around for 72 hours and analyzes their tweets for signs of food poisoning symptoms like Restaurant Food Poisoning Appsvomiting, abdominal pain, fever and chills. The system watches out for tweets that contain keywords like “threw up” and “tummy ache.”…In just four months, the nEmesis team was able to identify around 23,000 restaurant customers and detect around 480 possible cases of food poisoning. They then gave the restaurants a “health score” based on the number of incidents of people who became sick after eating there. The nEmesis team correlated their results with scores from the health department…”

Researchers at the University of Rochester developed an app called nEmesis that searches through Twitter and identifies possible cases of food poisoning. The app takes GPS data that is accessible via Twitter’s API and cross references that with the coordinates of restaurants.

One of the creators, Adam Sadilek, who now works at Google, sees the app as something that can help warn customers and as a potential tool for health officials to identify restaurants that may need to be looked into.

For more:  http://www.psfk.com/2013/10/food-poisoning-detection-app.html

Comments Off on Hospitality Industry Safety Risks: New “Smartphone App” Searches Twitter To Identify “Possible Cases Of Restaurant Food Poisoning”; Results Correlated With “Scores From Health Department”

Filed under Food Illnesses, Guest Issues, Health, Risk Management, Technology

Tagged as , , , , , ,

by | October 23, 2013 · 9:13 am

P3 Hospitality Industry Risk Report: “Food Poisoning Claims” By Todd Seiders, Director Of Risk Management For Petra Risk Solutions (Video)

[vimeo http://www.vimeo.com/52038337 w=500&h=281]

http://www.petrarisksolutions.com/

http://www.petrarisksolutions.com/

Petra Risk Solutions’ Director of Risk Management, Todd Seiders, offers a P3 Hospitality Risk Report – ‘Food Poisoning Claims’.

P3 ( Petra Plus Process) is the Risk Management Division of Petra Risk Solutions – America ’s largest independent insurance brokerage devoted exclusively to the hospitality marketplace.

For more information on Petra and P3 visit petrarisksolutions.com or call 800.466.8951.

Comments Off on P3 Hospitality Industry Risk Report: “Food Poisoning Claims” By Todd Seiders, Director Of Risk Management For Petra Risk Solutions (Video)

Filed under Food Illnesses, Guest Issues, Health, Insurance, Liability, Management And Ownership, Risk Management, Training

Tagged as , , , , , , ,

by | October 6, 2013 · 7:56 am

Hospitality Industry Health Insurance: Restaurants That Are “Applicable Large Employers (ALE)” Must Comply With Affordable Care Act “Measurement Period” Beginning November 1; Workers Classified As “Full-Time” If They Work Over 30 Hours Per Week

Across the country, many restaurant operators are being forced to make a difficult choice: Do they hire fewer employees, reduce the hours of Hospitality Industry Health Insurancecurrent employees or raise menu prices? For some, the answer may be a combination of the three. But regardless of the conclusion they reach, there are no easy solutions…And they’ll have to make those decisions quickly, as the notification period begins in a few weeks and soon the Affordable Care Act will require businesses with 50 or more full-time-equivalent employees to offer health coverage to those employees or face significant penalties.

Without changes, the Affordable Care Act will hurt economic growth and make flexible work schedules for employees more limiting to offer.

The irony is that many restaurant owners already offer health coverage to their full-time employees. However, they define a full-time workweek as 40 hours, which is the accepted definition across most industries. Unfortunately, the Affordable Care Act has redefined “full time” employees as those who work an average of 30 hours per week in a given month. This means that restaurants and other businesses that have always operated as small businesses are now considered “large employers” under the law, and therefore are responsible for health care costs that could reach well into the tens of thousands of dollars.

While restaurant jobs are sometimes unfairly described as low-wage, menial work, the industry is one of the few that still allows employees to prove themselves and work their way up. One in every 3 Americans have worked in a restaurant at some point in their life, and many who work in restaurants chose to do so because of the flexibility in scheduling the industry offers.

This is an industry that accommodates part-time and full-time opportunities. It’s also an industry where people can begin their careers and work life with minimal experience, and learn not only about hospitality and service but also finance, advertising and other business and leadership skills.

Unfortunately, if the Affordable Care Act takes effect in its current form and redefines the full-time workweek as 30 hours, those opportunities could be significantly limited. It very likely means fewer hours for part-time employees and a more rigid scheduling structure.

For more: http://www.rollcall.com/news/obamacares_acute_affliction_on_restaurant_industry_commentary-228092-1.html

Comments Off on Hospitality Industry Health Insurance: Restaurants That Are “Applicable Large Employers (ALE)” Must Comply With Affordable Care Act “Measurement Period” Beginning November 1; Workers Classified As “Full-Time” If They Work Over 30 Hours Per Week

Filed under Health, Labor Issues, Liability, Management And Ownership, Risk Management

Tagged as , , , , , , , ,

by | September 30, 2013 · 6:21 am

Hospitality Industry Health Risks: Restaurants Must Make Food Safety A “Core Value”; Lack Of “Hand Washing, Food Holding Temperature Controls” Remain Biggest Risk To Customers

“…Hand washing and proper holding temperatures — the basics of food safety — have not changed in 30 years, said Moore of Eat’n Restaurant Kitchen Health RisksPark. The key is keeping the message fresh so that employees pay attention…with a workforce largely under the age of 25, employers need to make sure their messages are quick and easy to grasp. Moore said he relies on lots of colorful visuals, and customized posters, comics, video clips featuring celebrities, games like Pandemic 2, and stuffed-animal germs and microbes are among his favorites…”

Food safety “needs to be part of your core values,” William Moore, director of safety and security for Eat’n Park Hospitality Inc., the Homestead, Pa.-based parent of the 75-unit Eat’n Park family-dining chain, said during his keynote speech. “If it’s not in your core values, your mission statement, then it’s not a priority.”

The symposium occurred against the backdrop of a Cyclospora outbreak that had sickened 642 people in 25 states, leading to 45 hospitalizations but no deaths, throughout the summer. The cause of the outbreak was still under investigation at press time, although a salad mix from Taylor Farms de Mexico served at Darden Restaurants Inc. in two states had been implicated in about 240 of the illnesses.

Tugging at the heartstrings doesn’t hurt either, said several attendees. Al Baroudi, Ph.D., vice president, quality assurance and food safety for The Cheesecake Factory Inc., the Calabasas Hills, Calif.-based operator of 175 upscale casual-dining restaurants, shows his audiences an image of the hundreds of children and adults that have died during foodborne illness outbreaks to drive home the point that lives are stake.

For more:  http://nrn.com/food-safety/7-steps-ensuring-restaurant-food-safety?page=2

Comments Off on Hospitality Industry Health Risks: Restaurants Must Make Food Safety A “Core Value”; Lack Of “Hand Washing, Food Holding Temperature Controls” Remain Biggest Risk To Customers

Filed under Food Illnesses, Guest Issues, Health, Labor Issues, Liability, Risk Management, Training

Tagged as , , , , , ,

by | September 27, 2013 · 5:46 am

Hospitality Industry Safety Risks: Florida Hotel Group To Place “Lifeguards And Fences” At Pools During “All Open Hours”; Move Follows Death Of 13-Year Old Boy In March

“…Lifeguards will be on duty at all times while the pools are open…But guests will no longer be permitted to swim in the feature pools after Hotel Pool Drowing Riskshours. Disney plans to install fences around any of those pools that are not already gated, a process that will begin in the coming months as hotels roll through their regular renovation cycles…(the move follows) the death of 13-year-old Anthony Johnson, who was pulled from a pool at Disney’s Pop Century Resort at about 9:30 p.m. on March 10…(he) died two days later at Florida Hospital Celebration…”

Walt Disney World says it will begin stationing lifeguards at its largest hotel pools during all operating hours and then locking them down overnight, six months after a young boy drowned while a pool was unguarded. Disney says its largest and most popular “feature” pools will begin opening at either 7 a.m. or 9 a.m. and closing at 11 p.m.

Only smaller and unguarded “quiet” pools at some hotels will remain accessible at all hours. Disney has about two dozen hotels and time-share resorts across its sprawling property.

“These changes make it easier for guests to understand when our pools are open and when a lifeguard is present,” Disney World spokeswoman Bernadette Davis.

Disney would not say whether a specific event triggered the move. Though that pool was open from 7 a.m. until 11 pm., lifeguards were only on duty from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Disney said it had posted signs warning that guests who chose to swim while the pool was unguarded did so at their own risk.

For more:  http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2013-09-26/business/os-disney-locking-swimming-pools-20130926_1_walt-disney-world-pools-lifeguards

Comments Off on Hospitality Industry Safety Risks: Florida Hotel Group To Place “Lifeguards And Fences” At Pools During “All Open Hours”; Move Follows Death Of 13-Year Old Boy In March

Filed under Guest Issues, Health, Injuries, Liability, Management And Ownership, Pool And Spa, Risk Management

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , ,

by | September 24, 2013 · 5:46 am

Hospitality Industry HazMat Risks: South Carolina Hotel Guests Evacuated, Hospitalized After Exposure To Pool Chemical Fumes; Employee Accidently Mixes Muriatic Acid And Chlorine

“…The area where the chemicals were mixed (was) isolated…one of the two chemicals was muriatic acid (and) the other chemical was Hotel Pool Chemical HazMat Riskschlorine (that) were mixed by an employee of the hotel by accident, creating the strong fumes that affected the employees and guests…One of the 12 transported by EMS was an employee of the hotel, but the other eleven were guests. An additional six people were treated at the hotel, but did not require further medical attention…”

The overnight nursing supervisor at Grand Strand Regional Medical Center confirmed all 14 patients who were being Hazardous Materials Teamtreated for respiratory issues following an accidental chemical mixture have been discharged from the hospital. Bob Derr, a Battalion Chief with the City of Myrtle Beach Fire Department confirmed the Hazmat situation was reported after two chemicals were mixed together in the pool maintenance area under the hotel the Landmark Resort at 1501 South Ocean Boulevard, affecting both guests and employees.

Twelve people have been taken to Grand Strand Regional Medical Center by EMS, and two more drove themselves. All 14 were presenting respiratory issues. Battalion Chief Derr suggested more guests could be transported if they started to show signs of respiratory distress.

Crews did not evacuate the hotel completely. The lower floors were cleared as a precaution.

For more:  http://www.wistv.com/story/23509101/crews-respond-to

Comments Off on Hospitality Industry HazMat Risks: South Carolina Hotel Guests Evacuated, Hospitalized After Exposure To Pool Chemical Fumes; Employee Accidently Mixes Muriatic Acid And Chlorine

Filed under Guest Issues, Health, Injuries, Labor Issues, Liability, Management And Ownership, Pool And Spa, Risk Management, Training

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , ,

by | September 13, 2013 · 5:19 am

Hospitality Industry Health Hazards: Hotel Owners Must Be Aware Of Risks From “Naegleria Fowleriis”, Known As “Brain-Eating Amoeba” In Warm Fresh Water On Or Around Their Premises

HospitalityLawyer.com“…Hotel owners and operators must be aware of potential N.fowleri hazards in bodies of water on or around their premises. If you offer guests access to recreational bodies of warm fresh water, we recommend making N.fowleri informational brochures available at your front desk; you may even consider providing complimentary nose plugs. Of course, it is absolutely essential that you keep all swimming pools and hot tubs properly chlorinated. Don’t assume that the water in hot tubs and/or hot springs is sufficiently hot to kill N.fowleri; the amoeba can survive temperatures well in excess of 115°F (46°C) for short periods of time…”

Naegleria Fowleri Amoebic Meningitis RiskNaegleria fowleriis an amoeba common to warm bodies of fresh water, including lakes and unchlorinated or poorly chlorinated swimming pools. This amoeba can infect the human nervous system and induce a lethal form of encephalitis when a victim insufflates contaminated water deep into the nasal cavities; while infection is relatively rare, only one percent of all victims survive. This parasite has made the news in recent years with the moniker “brain-eating amoeba” because it feeds on the proteins that help form neurons in our brains.

HospitalityLawyer Converge Solutions

http://hlconverge.com/

Both travelers and hotel owners/operators need to understand the conditions that encourage N.fowleri infection, as this amoeba presents a significant health hazard and a potential liability. N.fowleri thrives in warm fresh water; it cannot survive in very cold, salty, or properly chlorinated water. Infections typically occur in stagnant bodies of water, often after swimmers have stirred up sediment (which contains N.fowleri spores), and usually involve an activity like jumping, diving, or wakeboarding. In 2012, two people in Louisiana died from N.fowleri infection after using contaminated tap water with their neti pots. Death almost always occurs one to twelve days after infection.

This past summer, a four year-old boy in Bernard Parish, Louisiana, died of PAM (primary amebic meningoencephalitis, the extremely lethal result of N.fowleri infection) after playing on a Slip ‘n Slide. A twelve year-old boy in LaBelle, Florida, died of PAM after kneeboarding in a water-filled ditch near his home. One very lucky twelve year-old girl from Arkansas managed to survive an N.fowleri infection, making her the third survivor in the recorded history of the disease.

For more:  http://hlconverge.com/

Comments Off on Hospitality Industry Health Hazards: Hotel Owners Must Be Aware Of Risks From “Naegleria Fowleriis”, Known As “Brain-Eating Amoeba” In Warm Fresh Water On Or Around Their Premises

Filed under Guest Issues, Health, Labor Issues, Liability, Management And Ownership, Pool And Spa, Risk Management

Tagged as , , , , , , , ,

by | September 12, 2013 · 6:12 am

Hospitality Industry Health Risks: Arizona Restaurant Conducts “Full Re-Sanitizing” And “Enhanced Cleaning Protocols” With Consultant After E. Coli Outbreak Hospitalized 23 Customers

“…(the restaurant) said it disposed of all food and conducted “a full re-sanitizing of the restaurant” before reopening it. The company also noted Restaurant Food Safetythat it had worked with best-selling author and consultant Linda Cobb, known as the “Queen of Clean,” to “enhance its cleaning protocols”…of those who became ill in the exposure between July 18 and July 30, at least 23 were hospitalized, including two children who developed hemolytic uremic syndrome, a complication of E. coli infection that can cause kidney failure. The children required hospitalization, blood transfusions and dialysis..”

A Federico’s Mexican Food Restaurant in Litchfield Park, Ariz. that was linked to 79 cases of E. coli infection in July has reopened with new cleaning protocols in place and plans for a promotion to allay customers’ concerns about food safety.

On Aug. 1, the Maricopa County Department of Public Health informed Federico’s that it suspected some people had fallen ill from E. coli after eating at its Litchfield Park location. The company closed the restaurant for three days and reopened Aug. 5.

Owners of Federico’s, which has 20 units in the Phoenix, Ariz., area, said that the Maricopa County Department of Public Health has yet to determine the source of the E. coli O157:H7 infection.

For more:  http://nrn.com/food-safety/federico-s-restaurant-reopens-after-e-coli-outbreak

Comments Off on Hospitality Industry Health Risks: Arizona Restaurant Conducts “Full Re-Sanitizing” And “Enhanced Cleaning Protocols” With Consultant After E. Coli Outbreak Hospitalized 23 Customers

Filed under Claims, Food Illnesses, Guest Issues, Health, Liability, Management And Ownership, Risk Management, Training

Tagged as , , , , , , , ,

by | September 11, 2013 · 6:17 am

Hospitality Industry Safety Issues: Top Restaurant Review Website Posts “City Health Inspection Scores” Online; Consumers Can Now More Easily View Inspection Background And History

“…Yelp’s data come from city health inspectors, and the site displays the same information a consumer could find on a government site. But Online Restaurant Health Inspectionsthose sites can be unwieldy and, as Yelp Director of Public Policy Luther Lowe puts it…“Nobody goes to the .gov websites before they go to Yelp. The goal is to put highly relevant information that’s created by taxpayers in a context that makes a lot of sense.”…In a city committed to open data, inspection scores were already available online, via mobile app and in the restaurants themselves. But the new Yelp feature “goes a little bit further” by allowing consumers to read about inspection background and history…”

Yelp.com is starting to make it easier for diners to find a place to eat without getting sick.In August, Louisville became the second city to incorporate health-inspection information into its restaurant pages on the user-review site. San Francisco — Yelp’s home turf — was the first to do so back in January. Now, listed among a restaurant’s business attributes (hours, parking, Wi-Fi access, etc.) is its health score out of 100 possible points and a link to a description of  violations and previous inspections.

The new feature is “empowering the public with information,” says Kathy Harrison, communications director for the Louisville Metro Department for Public Health and Wellness.

The response to the addition of health scores has been “overwhelmingly positive,” Lowe says, and Yelp is currently working with a half-dozen other cities to bring health scores to their restaurant pages over the next several months.

For more:  http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2013/09/yelp-is-posting-health-inspection-scores/#.UjB2k0nn-M8

Comments Off on Hospitality Industry Safety Issues: Top Restaurant Review Website Posts “City Health Inspection Scores” Online; Consumers Can Now More Easily View Inspection Background And History

Filed under Food Illnesses, Guest Issues, Health, Liability, Management And Ownership, Risk Management

Tagged as , , , , , , , ,

by | August 26, 2013 · 5:45 am

P3 Hospitality Industry Risk Report: “Hotel Pool Preparation, Maintenance And Checklist” By Petra Risk Solutions’ Risk Manager Joe Fisco, CLSD (Video)

[vimeo http://vimeo.com/52436189]

P3Petra Risk Solutions’ Risk Manager, Joe Fisco, CLSD , offers a P3 Hospitality Risk Update – ‘Hotel Pool Preparation, Maintenance And Checklist’.

P3 (Petra Plus Process) is the Risk Management Division of Petra Risk Solutions – America’s largest independent insurance brokerage devoted exclusively to the hospitality marketplace.

For more information on Petra and P3 visit petrarisksolutions.com or call 800.466.8951.

Comments Off on P3 Hospitality Industry Risk Report: “Hotel Pool Preparation, Maintenance And Checklist” By Petra Risk Solutions’ Risk Manager Joe Fisco, CLSD (Video)

Filed under Guest Issues, Health, Insurance, Liability, Maintenance, Management And Ownership, Pool And Spa, Risk Management

Tagged as , , , , , ,